But understanding why the hijab is the site of so much controversy in France also requires understanding the deep history behind the debate. This belief manifested itself drastically in the attitude toward Algerian Muslim women, who were seen as both oppressed and exotic. While these highly-publicized ceremonies were framed as spaces of empowerment for Muslim women, other accounts of this history tell a different story. “Muslim women who wear the hijab have always been on the receiving end of Islamophobia for their visible identity,” Nazma Khan, the founder of World Hijab Day, told TIME. “If it was about giving Muslim women more agency, then in that case, you could let them or let all women wear whatever they wanted,” says Al-Saji.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 19, 2021 18:11 UTC